


but in all the world there is one worthy lover

by tuesdead



Category: Naruto
Genre: Brothels, Fluff, Found Family, Getting Together, Hokage Hatake Kakashi, Implied/Referenced Underage Prostitution, M/M, Mild Angst, Mpreg, Naruto works at a brothel, Post-Fourth Shinobi War, Prostitution, also, and has since he became a genin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 13:21:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28654173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tuesdead/pseuds/tuesdead
Summary: Naruto has worked for Madam Kaneko for as long as he can remember--from doing simple chores and running errands to eventually taking clients of his own.So he should have expected this possibility. It's not like there aren't other men getting pregnant across the continent. He just hadn't known that he would be one of them.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 12
Kudos: 159





	but in all the world there is one worthy lover

**Author's Note:**

> _None of the underage happens on screen._ And, since genin are considered adults (not including alcohol?), for the sake of this story, it's not really considered under age. But, working in a brothel is still considered immoral from most common people.
> 
> this has been sitting in my drafts for months.
> 
> title inspired by the song _Run_ by Hozier

His life wasn’t supposed to be like this. He knows, he _knows_ it wasn’t supposed to be like this, so _why-_

_Why does the universe hate me?_

The little pink plus sign mocks him, the test in his hand a firm reminder that he can no longer live life recklessly. As if he’s ever had a choice.

_I have to tell them._

_I have to tell him._

He’s worked in the brothel for as long as he can remember. In the beginning, he was just their errand boy. The madam had told him, once, that as long as he was polite, he would be a welcome employee (“We don’t discriminate, child.”). After he got a little bigger, he was given bigger chores--he helped clean the rooms and wash the laundry, and eventually, the women taught him how to cook. There were never many male employees, there, but that had never bothered Naruto. He _liked_ these women, they were kind, and caring, and considered him as their own.

The women of Madam Kaneko’s brothel had become his family. They took him in, and after he became a genin, a legal adult in the eyes of the village, Madam Kaneko asked Naruto if he wanted to make better money (“Sometimes, the men who come in here aren’t looking for women, young man. If you disguised your identity, I think plenty of men would pay good money for a night with you.”).

Naruto, of course, knew what she meant. He may have been the dead last in his class, but even Naruto knows how a brothel works, and Madam Kaneko turns away anybody that the girls who live there are frightened of. (“I’m not trying to get my girls hurt.”)

She’d told him to think on it for a few days, but a week hadn’t even passed when Naruto realized how bad he'd had it--one picnic that Sakura had brought for the team reminded Naruto that he can’t live off of cup ramen and still take proper care of himself.

And look at him now. He’s been back from the war for a whole month, and _boy_ was Madam Kaneko happy to see him, and he’s _fucking pregnant_.

His clients, of course, most likely hide their true identities. He’s never asked one of them if they are who they say they are, because Naruto himself is always under a _henge_ while he’s with a client. Even if he wasn’t “the demon brat,” working at the brothel might strip him of his status as a shinobi of Konoha.

Still. He’s seen enough at the Madam’s place that being pregnant won’t take him out of work, of course, but…

Well, Madam Kaneko might take him off the list when he tells her. She likes to keep her kids safe when she can.

_Kaka-sensei’s gonna kill me._

He’ll be taken off the mission roster, for one thing. At least, anything above a d-rank or a small c-rank. The Hokage won’t have him risking his life _and_ his kid’s life, and Naruto’s fine with that. This pregnancy obviously wasn’t planned, of course, and you would _think_ that it would be impossible to tell who the father is.

Fortunately for Naruto, he knows who the father is.

Well. Kind of.

“You look tired Naru-chan, do you need to take the evening off?” One of his sisters leans against the front desk, head cocked in concern.

“Yeah, you look a little pale.”

“Thanks, Kazue-chan, Haru-chan. Is Madam Kaneko in? It’s kind of important.” He shuffles his feet, hand clenching around the pregnancy tests in his pocket.

Haru leans against the counter, brushing the back of her hand across his forehead. “Well, you aren’t fevered… You really don’t look well, Naruto-chan.”

“Kaneko’s in the office if you want to go on back,” Kazue adds. “It’s too bad, your regular stopped by this morning. He said he would be in this evening if you weren’t already booked.”

“Ah…” He nods in thanks and slips behind the counter, heading toward their keeper’s private office. “Knock knock.”

_“It’s open!”_

She looks up from her lunch when he slides the door open. “Naruto!" Her smile falters. "What’s wrong, kiddo?”

A sigh. He drops onto the cushion across from her, resting his forehead on the table. “I’m pregnant.”

A small breath. “You’re a bearer?”

A bearer. A male mother. Some people even call them omegas, but Naruto’s pretty sure those are for people like Sakura, who read trashy yaoi manga on their days off.

It’s fairly rare, and the only males who ever get tested are the ones who intend to have sex with other men. Obviously.

“I didn’t know I was, I never got tested. I didn’t exactly have a normal childhood, so it never really came up. I think my academy teacher is the one who eventually told me about it, and it’s not like he had the time to take me to the clinic for the test, _or_ like he thought I would’ve needed to know when I was a kid.” Her gaze doesn’t waver, so he places the tests on the table in front of him. “They all say the same thing. I want to go to the hospital for an ultrasound, but I should also tell the father, don’t you think?”

Her face is grim. “You know who it is?”

“Most of my clients prefer oral, except for my regular. I have to go to the hospital and I need to notify the Hokage, but I’d like to tell him as soon as I can. Kazue told me he plans on coming in tonight.”

The woman nods, reaching across the table to pat his hand. “Of course, kiddo. You do what you need to do.” She watches him stand, a look on her face that Naruto can’t quite read. “And Naruto… no matter what happens, we’ll always be your family. Any one of these girls, myself included, will do what we can to help you out.”

/

If the situation wasn’t strange enough, when he steps into the hospital and approaches the front desk, the receptionist fills out his request and hands him a slip of paper, sending him up a flight of stairs and down one hallway. But the office he ends up in is…, being run by Sakura today.

“Naruto? Did you get lost or something?” 

He rubs at the back of his neck, holding out his appointment slip for her to take. “I don’t think so, Sakura-chan.”

The kunoichi blinks, blinks again, holds the paper up against the light as if she’s looking for some secret message. He resists the urge to roll his eyes.

“Oi, this is kind of important, Sakura-chan. If the pharmacy tests I took are telling the truth, I need to speak to the Hokage, like, ASAP.”

“Pharmacy… tests?” Sakura’s arms fall to her side. “ _Oh_ , this is real.”

When all is said and done, and they’re sitting side by side on the exam table, Sakura finally leans against his side. “So… are you seeing somebody, or is it… like a one night stand situation?”

Naruto coughs. “Neither? It’s kind of… I could get in trouble if somebody who doesn’t like me finds out.”

“Well, I’m not going to tell anybody. I mean, I think you should tell Kakashi-sensei, but _he’s_ not gonna fire you or anything.”

A sigh. “I work in a brothel when I’m in the village, Sakura-chan. I have for as long as I can remember.”

 _“WHAT?”_ She leaps to her feet.

He leans back, staring into her enraged eyes and wondering what she’s so upset abou-- _oh_.

“Oi! Not like that! Jeez, I’ve only been taking clients since I was a genin. Before that, I was an errand boy, or I just did the chores around the place. And most of my clients prefer oral.”

Sakura takes a step back, crossing her arms. “Being exposed to that behavior at such a young age--”

“Don’t badmouth those women, Sakura. I won’t allow it. They’ve taken care of me since I was a little kid. Just because they’re sex workers doesn’t mean they aren’t good people. Am I a bad person, now that you know I work there?” He stands, sliding his hands into his pockets. “Because if that somehow changes your perception of me, I don’t think we should be on the same team.” _Not that it matters right now anyway._ He slips past her, heading for the door, but pauses at the tone of her voice.

“ _Wait!_ Naruto, please, I just… I’m not… I’ve never really… thought about it.”

And why would she? Sakura was raised by civilians, and her friends in the academy were clan members. Why should she think about the orphans on the street, the kids who grew up fighting for their lives?

“You’re my friend, you’re like a brother to me, so _please_ , please don’t leave the team. I promise I’m going to do whatever I can to help you out!”

_What would I do without you?_

“Gee, Sakura-chan… You don’t have to make me cry, I would never leave Team Seven.” He turns, allowing the hug she pulls him into. “Well, not permanently. They’ll probably replace me for a little while, now that I have two lives to worry about instead of one.”

Sakura manages a smile, looking a bit teary-eyed herself. “Maybe wait to tell Sasuke, though. You know if he gets a letter like that, he’ll come rushing back to the village and want to pummel the guy that knocked you up.”

Unfortunately, Naruto has to agree. “Right. Waiting to tell Sasuke.”

/

As it happens, the Hokage double booked himself with meetings, so Naruto’s unable to speak to him before he heads back to the brothel to meet with his regular client.

While he changes clothes and forms his _henge_ , Naruto thinks about all of the conversations he’s had with this particular client. The man is fairly talkative before and after sex, always curious about Naruto’s life, his likes and dislikes, his thoughts on the smallest of things. It’s almost like they’re friends. Hell, it’s almost like they’re lovers.

But there are inconsistencies in the man’s story. Not big ones, and nothing incriminating. Just enough holes to make Naruto think the man’s hiding his true identity under a _henge_ , much like Naruto himself.

So when he knocks on the door, and Naruto opens it, his stomach rolls. _Hell_ , but he’s never been this nervous about _anything_ . What is he so afraid of? Is it the fact that he’s going to have to reveal his identity if the man wants to be a part of the child’s life? Is it the fear that the man might change his mind when he knows it’s _Naruto_ he’s been seeing all this time? Is it the fear that he knows who’s under that _henge_ after all?

“You’re not looking very well, are you alright?”

He takes a deep breath, sliding the door shut, before turning to face his client. They’ve never shared names with each other, like it’s one lie they’ve never wanted to tell each other.

He kneels, leaving enough distance between them to clarify that there’s something on his mind. “I have something to tell you.”

The man hums. “Do you mind if I say something first?”

_Oh, thank god._

Naruto really shouldn’t be stalling, but if this man wants to confess something as well, _by all means_ , please do. “Of course not, go ahead.”

“I’ve never really told you why I always come back.” The man shrugs. “I like you. I don’t know your name, and you don’t know anything about me, but I like you a lot. So whatever you have to say, I’m sure I can take it in stride.”

Naruto almost wants to prove him wrong, and _barely_ refrains from saying so. “I’m pregnant,” he deadpans instead.

A slow blink. “Pregnant.”

“My circle of clients is small, but out of them, you’re the only one who could possibly be the father,” he explains meaningfully.

“ _Oh_.”

Naruto nods once, refusing to look away from the man seated on the edge of the bed, not even when he stands.

“Then I should really drop the _henge_ , don’t you think?”

“Wait, you…?” Naruto stands, arms flailing. “But you don’t even know me!”

The man raises an eyebrow, oddly reminiscent of the way Kakashi usually looks at Naruto, and _oh my god, no way, this isn’t happen-_

In a small burst of smoke, the henge drops. Naruto’s former sensei’s face does not even change expressions.

“H-hokage-sama...” he hears himself mumble, voice practically nonexistent it’s so small.

“Maa, we’re currently at a crossroads here. Now you know me, but I don’t know you.” He eye smiles. “If we’re going to have a child, I think it’s safe to share identities.”

Naruto hits his knees. “Oh, god, I’m _so_ dead.”

The Hokage crouches in front of him, concerned. “Is this something against me, then?”

“ _No_ , you idiot!” Naruto ducks his head. “But _this isn’t my face_!”

 _Kakashi. I’ve been having sex with Kakashi_ **_all this time!_ **

_Ohgodohgodohgod, don’t let him hate me._

Another moment passes in silence while Naruto’s tears land on the baby blue carpeting. The moment passes, and then Kakashi stands, moving around Naruto and then sitting down behind him, facing the door.

“Will you release it now?” he asks gently.

Naruto hums. “Because you don’t have to see me to know who I am?” He releases the transformation, wiping at his tears. “Please don’t hate me.”

They breathe together, back to back, until Kakashi shudders, going tense.

“Sunshine,” he hums. “Summer rain. Forests. Ramen. _Naruto._ ”

_Is that how he always knows where we are during training exercises?_

“I could never, _ever_ hate you, Naruto.” His voice is low, wrecked. _Vulnerable._ “How long have you been a sex worker?”

“Since I graduated from the academy. I was legal, and Madam Kaneko has been looking out for me for longer than that. Besides, it’s good money.” He fidgets. “I figured… as long as I wasn’t seeing anybody, why should it matter?”

“Madam Kaneko is a good person,” Kakashi concedes. “So, what now?”

Naruto snorts. “You tell me, Hokage-sama.”

That’s the question, isn’t it? This man is Naruto’s superior in every way, so even… even if Kakashi doesn’t hate him, what _does_ he feel? Disappointment? Frustration? Anger? Sadness?

Maybe… Could he be happy? Even if he can’t be happy about Naruto, maybe he can be happy about the child?

“I never imagined I’d get to be a parent.”

“Get to be… Does that mean you want to be?”

Kakashi shifts. “I’ve…” He clears his throat. “Yes. Yes, I would like to.”

A tension he hadn’t realized he’s been holding leaves Naruto, and he practically sags against Kakashi’s back. “That’s good, ‘cause I don’t know if I can do this by myself.”

“Naruto, even if it wasn’t my child, I would do anything in my power to help you.”

His precious people really are the best, aren’t they?

/

“So? Did you tell him?”

Naruto jumps, bumping his head on the cupboards above the counter in his kitchen. “Ouch! Oi, Sakura, don’t sneak up on me like that!” He turns to face her, pout in place. “Tell who?”

“Kakashi-sensei! I didn’t get to see you after you left the hospital, so--why are you packing your things?”

After staying up _way too late_ to sort out their priorities, the two of them had decided that they should just move in together, and that Naruto won’t have to stop working so much as switch jobs.

“I’m...moving?”

“What? Moving- do you mean with the baby’s father? Isn’t that dangerous? Do you even know him?” Sakura crosses the room, spinning in a circle to see how much he’s gotten done already.

“Actually, it turns out I do know the guy, and so do you! So, yeah, we’re moving in together. For now, we’ll be establishing a routine that works for both of us, and it’ll be adjusted when the baby comes.” He grins, turning back to the dishes he’s been wrapping in newspapers for the last five minutes. “It may seem sudden to you, but we’ve been sleeping together for like, I dunno, three years? On top of finding out we already know each other, it just seems like the most logical solution.”

Sakura hums, reaching for a hammer to start pulling nails out of the walls. “Are you guys together, then, or just co-parenting?”

Ah, the million dollar question. “We didn’t actually talk about that part, specifically. I think… I think maybe the affection is there. At least, I know on my end that I would be happy to take that step. But, as for him… I can’t really tell. I didn’t ask because I was so relieved he didn’t just walk away.”

“Well… maybe it’s for the best. I mean, I know somebody who is just… completely in love with you, and would be devastated if you just started seeing somebody out of the blue.”

“Sakura-chan, I’m _really_ not going to just start having feelings for Hinata.”

His teammate grins. “I’m not talking about Hinata. I’m talking about Kakashi-sensei.”

_Kakashi is...in love with me?_

“H-have you been picking mushrooms again, Sakura-chan?”

Unimpressed, she pinches his ear. “No. He’s loved you for ages. Like. Since you got back from your trip with Jiraiya-sama. He was _so_ flustered. I never mentioned it before, but when I first saw you when you got back, we had been on our way to the tower together. He saw you before I did and panicked.”

_Holy shit._

“Are you really, _really_ certain? Sakura-chan?”

“I mean, I can tease him later and see if he reacts like he always does.”

“Well…, I don’t think he’s gonna react like he usually does, Sakura-chan, whether he likes me or not.” He leans back against the counter, crossing his arms.

“What makes you say that?”

“He knows about the baby, for one thing.”

She curses, smacking a fist into her palm. “I didn’t think of that.” But then her eyes light up. “It’s fine, I have a plan!”

_I don’t know if I like where this is going._

/

When Sakura knocks on the door to the Hokage’s office, she’s not sure what awaits her. From what she’s seen, Kakashi has literally been in love with Naruto for _years_ , and his actions during the war only solidified her opinion on the matter, but… it would be nice to have it confirmed.

_“Enter.”_

He’s slouched over his desk, looking _way too fucking tired_. What, did he not get any sleep last night or something?

“You look awful.”

He groans, cracking one eye open to glare at her.

“Is this because Naruto’s pregnant?”

“You know about that, huh?”

“Well, I don’t know who the father is, but I didn’t really ask. How are you doing with all of this?”

Kakashi heaves a sigh. “What do you mean?”

“Well… if you’re waiting for some sort of sign to tell him about your feelings, I think you’re gonna miss your chance if you wait much longer.”

The Hokage snorts, pushing himself up enough to meet her gaze, chin in hand. “Am I that obvious?”

_Yes._

“You really should tell him. You know, _before_ he moves in with the baby’s father.” She shrugs. “He said that they’re just co-parenting for now, and he doesn’t know if his feelings can be returned. But apparently, we know the guy.”

The Hokage hums, forcing himself out of his chair.

“Ne, Kakashi-sensei, you really look terrible. Did you not get any sleep last night?” She can understand if he’s upset about Naruto, but if he’s that tired, he should have just taken a day off.

“Maa, don’t worry about it, Sakura. Like you said, I shouldn’t be waiting around for a neon sign, right?” He _shunshins_ out of the office before she can get another word in.

Well, hey. At least _somebody’s_ going to confess to Naruto. Maybe they’ll let her help plan the wedding.

/

Naruto doesn’t turn around when he hears his front door open, mainly because there aren’t that many people who actually know where he lives outside his circle of friends, and if any of his friends are barging in unannounced, he can just put them to work.

Well, that’s his plan, at least. Until a pair of arms wrap around his waist and a masked cheek presses against his own.

_Oh._

“I wasn’t expecting to hear from you until this evening.”

Kakashi hums, pulling him closer. “I decided, after a particularly short conversation with Sakura, that I _really_ don’t want to go one more minute without telling you how much I love you and want to be by your side.”

_‘I love you and want to be by your side.’_

_‘I love you.’_

Naruto’s legs don’t really want to hold him up anymore, but that’s okay, because Kakashi’s there to hold him up, like always, and suddenly, everything _clicks._ How long? How long has Kakashi been there, resigned to watch over him from afar, seeking his pleasure from somebody who has no reason to reject him, content to do what he can for Naruto without setting himself up to lose him?

“I’ve loved you for a long time…, Kakashi.”

The man’s arms wind around him more firmly, holding Naruto against his chest and pressing soft kisses along his jaw, his temple, everywhere he can reach.

“I’m yours,” he hums, swaying where he stands. “And I’m also exhausted, can we please take a nap?”

 _We were up too late._ “Okay, but you have a bigger bed.”

“Oh, thank god.” He forms the _shunshin_ hand signs against Naruto’s ribcage, the handful of jumps it takes to get to Kakashi’s apartment barely noticeable when Naruto’s being held like this. They’re curled around each other, contentedly dozing, not even five minutes later.

“Have I thanked you, yet?” Kakashi mumbles into Naruto’s hair at some point. Naruto doesn’t know how much time has passed, doesn’t really care. Has he ever been this happy?

“Thanked me for what?”

“Where should I begin?” his lover asks, pulling him closer. “For breathing.” A sigh. “For being on my team. For...never giving up. For saving me. A lot.” A kiss. “For our child. For loving me. For… god, for everything.”

Naruto smiles, pushing himself up on his elbow to meet Kakashi’s gaze. “Some of that was definitely out of my control. Besides, shouldn’t I be thanking you?”

“Not at all. I was a coward, and you deserve so much more than the things I’ve done, but-”

“ _But_ , there’s nobody in the world that can make me feel the way you make me feel. It’s _you_ , Kakashi. You alone. I never left the brothel because there was never anybody I wanted a life with. That is, I never thought I could have one with you.”

Kakashi reaches for him, an aching, tender look in his eyes. “I’m yours, I’ve always been yours, I was always going to be yours.”

Maybe, one day, Naruto will ask exactly what that means. For now, though, he’s content to be held, to let his heart be won, to carry their child and wait for the day where it no longer feels like a dream.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know if you think anything else should be tagged.


End file.
